Griffin Gogol (Earth-616)
; formerly , Nebraska Initiative | Relatives = Unnamed parents | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = Chicago, Illinois | Gender = Male | Height = 5'11" | Weight = 175 lbs | Eyes = Brown | Hair = Brown | UnusualFeatures = | CharRef = | Citizenship = American | MaritalStatus = Single | Occupation = Superhero, stand-up comedian; former plumber | Education = Vocational training | Origin = Extraterrestial enhancement | PlaceOfBirth = Pendleton, Ohio | Creators = Roy Thomas; Mike Friedrich; George Pérez | First = Fantastic Four #177 | Last = | HistoryText = When an elderly psychologist couldn't afford to pay plumber Griffin Gogol, he offered to cure Gogol's smoking habit via hypnosis. However, as Gogol later learned, the psychologist was an extraterrestrial, and the hypnosis unlocked Gogol's innate superhuman potential. Donning a staggeringly gaudy costume, Gogol became the superhero Captain Ultra; however, he suffered from severe pyrophobia (fear of fire). Captain Ultra's first appearance was as an applicant to the supervillain team called the Frightful Four; he was at first enthusiastically accepted by the other three villains, ecstatic at his large array of powers. However, when one of them began to light a cigarette in celebration, he fainted in the presence of the match; he was promptly rejected. He eventually overcame his pathological fear of fire thanks to years of extensive therapy under Doc Samson.citation needed __TOC__ An unauthorized television program told of the Defenders. Captain Ultra was one of a large group to investigate by traveling to the Richmond Riding Academy on Long Island. There he worked with a small group to stop a crime spree back in New York. Like most of the other applicants, he was not pleased with the Defenders and never really petitioned the core group for membership. Soon after, he would move to Chicago. He has since had a minor career as a solo superhero, often teaming up with heroes like Thor to battle minor villains. Captain Ultra was also one of the aliases used by The Captain. Griffin then became the leader for the Nebraska team of the Initiative program, part of a government controlled superhero program. After Paragon, one of his team, kills fellow teammate Gadget, Griffin briefly fights Iron Man to protect the rest of his group. He is seen investigating the circumstances of Paragon and Gadget's tragic deaths with Doc Samson and Iron Man. During the course of their investigation it is revealed that there are two new Initiative recruits in the process of being fast-tracked to the Nebraska team, although Captain Ultra expressed irritation at the prospect of having to "babysit the punks." | Powers = * Flight * Penetrating Vision * Super-human strength * Super-speed * Enhanced stamina * Enhanced durability * Enhanced agility * Intangibility * Ultra-breath * Ultra-voice * Resistance to mind control | Abilities = Adept at creating balloon animals. | Strength = He is able to press up to 25 tons. | Weaknesses = Formerly pyrophobic, Captain Ultra would faint when seeing a flame, even in a lighter. With extensive therapy he has overcome this phobia. | Equipment = | Transportation = | Weapons = | Notes = | Trivia = | Links = * All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe 2 }} Category:Superhuman Agility Category:Defenders members Category:Flight Category:X-Ray Vision Category:Superhuman Stamina Category:Intangibility Category:Acoustikinesis Category:Telepathic Immunity Category:Phobias Category:Pyrophobia Category:50-State Initiative members Category:Mutates